Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust structure for a compact vehicle including a catalytic device in the middle of an exhaust pipe.
Description of Related Art
An ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) classified into a compact vehicle includes a vehicle body frame that supports a front wheel and a pair of right and left rear wheels, and an engine that is located forward of the rear wheels and that is supported on the vehicle body frame. As for this kind of the compact vehicle, there is a structure that an exhaust pipe extends forward from a cylinder portion of the engine, is subsequently folded back rearward, and extends toward a rear side while passing through a left side of the cylinder portion, and a muffler is connected to a rear end portion of the exhaust pipe (see, for example, JP-A No. 2006-103375).
Recently, in the light of environment conservation, the mounting rate of a catalytic device for performing exhaust emission control has been increased. However, in the case where the catalytic device is added to the above-mentioned compact vehicle, if the catalytic device is installed in the middle of an exhaust pipe of the vehicle, it is necessary to apply measures for protection of a periphery from heat generated from the catalytic device. Also, since the compact vehicle does not have much empty space, securement of an arrangement space for the catalytic device is difficult.